Looking to heat up those dull chilly winter months? WinterPRIDE, Whistler B.C.’s week long Pride event celebrated their 20th year in operation this past week and boy has this Pride ever grown up! Running from February 5-12, 2012 there were so many things to see and do that this weary traveller may need another holiday just to recover!
Summer time usually takes precedence as the season of vacation getaways, but WinterPRIDE, Whistler Mountain’s annual Pride event is threatening to change all that.
Situated two hours out of Vancouver, via the truly breathtaking “Sea to Sky Highway,” Whistler Blackcomb (the official alpine skiing venue for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games) consistently ranks #1 with travel magazines as the premiere ski destination in North America. Whistler receives on average over 1,090 centimetres (430 inches) of snow annually, and can boast one of the longest ski seasons of all the major resorts.
Whistler offers world-class amenities, with plenty of accommodations to suit every style and budget. We found that the Whistler Village Inn & Suites presented the perfect mix of value and location, with less than a 2 minute walk to the gondolas, amazing restaurants, spas, nightclubs and of course plenty of retail shopping for the more leisurely inclined. Whether a traditional loft, room or suite is to your liking (many with wood burning fireplaces to cozy up to) we found the prices and central location perfect to truly enjoy all that WinterPRIDE had to offer.
Organizers Dean Nelson, Ken Coolen and their amazing volunteers provided a truly memorable event, complete with WinterPRIDE’s first ever Pride parade. Starting on the mountaintop, a giant rainbow flag was skied down the hill, enveloped by the applauding participants at the base and paraded through the Village to the Convention Centre, where the Mayor officially proclaimed the week WinterPRIDE! Marching en masse in ski boots for any distance is an art unto itself let me tell you.
Whether you are part of the party and après ski crowd, ski and outdoor recreation set, or a little bit of both, WinterPRIDE provided something for everyone. Set in gorgeous surroundings with a welcoming “live and let live” way of looking at the world, the queer community that dropped in to Whistler’s backyard were all welcomed with open arms. This jaded pride-goer encountered abundant snow, ladies, outdoor fun and parties.
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Sitting daily in one of the many bars and cafes in the Village Square people watching really brought home how many LGBT folk had come to experience the event. I stopped counting the queer folk wandering around, but the young lesbian couple walking hand in hand with their two dogs dressed in miniature ski outfits was a definite highlight!
Aside from plenty of ski opportunities, there was dog sledding, zip lining, snow shoe adventures, wine tasting, snowmobile tours, snowboard and dinner tours. For the party hearty crowd, there were daily après ski parties in the cavernous Whistler Convention Centre, a comedy night, pool party (complete with giant inflatable float toys) and even a leather party. There was a memorable mid week drag contest, with drag queens and kings vying for the title of Ms. WinterPRIDE2012 and of course the finale party, Snowball.
Two standouts for this writer were ladies events; Purrlesque (with renown burlesque artist Burgundy Brixx) and the famous Flygirl Productions Shred Betties closing party featuring pounding beats from international lady DJs, snow bunny dancers and hot and happy gals from all walks of life. A quick poll of the room found women from Switzerland, Australia, England, Canada and the U.S. dancing up a storm to the ferocious beats and decor, all situated against a backdrop of late night sledders flying down the hills behind them.
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The ride back to Vancouver was one of gob-smacked awe at the many and varied things we had taken in at this truly unique weeklong Pride event. Exhausted, but definitely sated, we found ourselves missing the “bubble” of WinterPRIDE and its surrounding excitement before we were even out of its city limits.
A visit to Whistler B.C., and WinterPRIDE will see you joining the many that keep coming back again and again to take part in fun, snow and pride!
Check out more photos below:
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Based out of Vancouver, Canada, Barb Snelgrove is co-host of QueerFM Radio-Arts Xtra (101.9FM), a columnist with LOV Magazine and reporter for OUTlook/Outtv. You can catch her daily ramblings on Twitter.
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